They Did A Lot To Ol' Hank!

Walter Stettner · Post by **Walter Stettner** » 11 Jul 2009 6:45 am

I hadn't listened to the old Hank Williams MGM albums "On Stage" and "On Stage, Vol. 2" (from the early 60s) for a while but did again today. Read the liner notes and didn't know if I should laugh or cry. The albums contain 4 Health & Happiness Shows", the notes say that "you'll hear only five musicians" (Hank, Don, Jerry, Hillous and Bob). So far, so good. Then I started listening and heard a very dominant piano throughout the songs, an electric guitar filled in licks and rhythm and one of the songs even had a nerve wrecking (hard to say for me) second steel guitar, always playing chimes somewhere on top.

One of the shows is totally staged, they even cut out the dialogue. I also have a feeling that they used Hank's studio recordings ("The Blues Come Around" is the version with Jerry Byrd on steel) plus they changed the sequence of the songs...

Sad what some producers thought they have to do in order to "enhance" these old recordings.

PS.: I still believe Ms. Audrey is among the worst singers ever to have been recorded.

Kind Regards, Walter

Glen Derksen · Post by **Glen Derksen** » 11 Jul 2009 10:26 am

I hear you. I have an old album that was supposedly a "show" performed at Ernest Tubb's record shop featuring various artists. The album starts swith Tubb introducing the "show", and then during the songs, which have studio standard recording quality, there is no applause when someone does an instrumental break. There is no onstage banter and no one talking in the audience. The only sound from the "audience" is the applause at the start and finish of each song. And what makes me the most suspicious is the fact that when I compared Patsy Cline's song 'Shoes' on that album with that song on one of her albums, it was an absolute dead ringer!

Walter Stettner · Post by **Walter Stettner** » 11 Jul 2009 1:09 pm

You are right, they released a lot of fake live recordings, many of them on Decca. The Wilburn Brothers Show, ET Record Shop, Saturday Night At the Grand Ole Opry were all regular studio recordings with applause copied in. The Hank Williams Shows are even worse because they also changed the music and added instruments that were really far away from the original music of Hank Williams. Hank with piano??? No way... $:\$

Kind Regards, Walter

Clyde Mattocks · Post by **Clyde Mattocks** » 11 Jul 2009 1:28 pm

Fred Rose was known to noodle a bit on piano to show the musicians what he wanted. That's him on the ending lick on "Half As Much."

Glen Derksen · Post by **Glen Derksen** » 12 Jul 2009 11:28 pm

It's not just the Hank williams "live" albums that I've noticed overdubs. I have a copy of both 'The Very Best of Hank Wiliams" and 'Hank William's Greatest Hits". On 'The Very Best", I can hear another steel guitar and an overdubbed guitar, whereas, on 'Greatest Hits", I don't hear any overdubs. I'm not complaining, though, because I think the overdubbing on the first one was tastefully done, and I like both versions.

Walter Stettner · Post by **Walter Stettner** » 13 Jul 2009 7:54 am

MGM even released an album called "Hank Williams with Strings". Never heard it, but I don't know if I want to hear it... $:\$

Kind Regards, Walter

b0b · Post by **b0b** » 13 Jul 2009 8:56 am

Walter Stettner wrote:MGM even released an album called "Hank Williams with Strings". Never heard it, but I don't know if I want to hear it... $:\$

Kind Regards, Walter

I've heard that. It was really bad.

Glen Derksen · Post by **Glen Derksen** » 13 Jul 2009 9:01 am

Ugghhh! I can't stand those strings!

Jim Phelps · Post by **Jim Phelps** » 14 Jul 2009 5:35 am

Walter Stettner wrote: PS.: I still believe Ms. Audrey is among the worst singers ever to have been recorded.

Worse than Yoko?

Walter Stettner · Post by **Walter Stettner** » 14 Jul 2009 7:20 am

Comparable...

Kind Regards, Walter

Barry Blackwood · Post by **Barry Blackwood** » 14 Jul 2009 7:39 am

Speaking of 'fake live recordings,' I believe the Texas Troubadours recording from Cain's Ballroom was one of these ....

Pete Finney · Post by **Pete Finney** » 14 Jul 2009 8:16 am

A previous thread with more about about fake "live" albums:

http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=133167

Charles Davidson · Post by **Charles Davidson** » 14 Jul 2009 10:22 am

The biggest insult to ole Hank was that damn terrible movie [YOUR CHEATING HEART] with George Hamilton,If I'm not mistaken the steel was a MAJOR part of his music,Not ONE steel lick in the whole movie,figure that one out.A scene in the movie shows Hank on the opry,NO steel,but chick backup singers. DYK?BC.

Glen Derksen · Post by **Glen Derksen** » 14 Jul 2009 3:21 pm

I found the sound track album in a second hand store. I took it home thinking I was going to hear a lot of good steel playing. Man, was I ever disappointed! I put that album on my donation pile.

Henry Nagle · Post by **Henry Nagle** » 14 Jul 2009 4:22 pm

Weren't some of Buddy Holly's songs, ummm, "augmented" posthumously too?

George Kovolenko · Post by **George Kovolenko** » 14 Jul 2009 4:54 pm

Worse than the late Linda McCartney?

Years ago there was a tape going around from a Wings concert that was just her mike. Absolutely hillarious!!!!

Thanks for the laugh, no disrespect intended....

Glen Derksen · Post by **Glen Derksen** » 14 Jul 2009 8:41 pm

Henry Nagle wrote:Weren't some of Buddy Holly's songs, ummm, "augmented" posthumously too?

Yes, I know a thing or two about that. The songs you're referring to are 'Slippin' And Slidin', 'Peggy Sue Got Married', 'Baby Won't You Come Out Tonight', 'Reminiscing' and 'Down The Line'. Those were overdubbed by Jimmy Gilmer And The Fireballs, who had hits with 'Bottle Of Wine'and 'Sugar Shack'.

Walter Stettner · Post by **Walter Stettner** » 19 Jul 2009 12:09 am

In the meantime I have heard the original version of one of the fake shows. Lots of steel by Don Helms that couldn't be heard on the doctored version!

Kind Regards, Walter

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They Did A Lot To Ol' Hank!

They Did A Lot To Ol' Hank!

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